THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, August 15, 1995 TAG: 9508150037
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E4 EDITION: FINAL
SERIES: Tell Me a Story
LENGTH: Long : 120 lines
Tell Me A Story is a series of tales, adapted by Amy Friedman and illustrated by Jillian Gilliland, that are suitable for children to read with their parents, friends, or alone.
ONCE UPON A TIME, there lived a peasant woman who had been married for a second time. One day while her second husband was hard at work in the fields, a weary tramp came to the cottage door and asked for a drink of water. The woman was a friendly sort, and she liked a tidbit of gossip or two. As the fellow drank his water, she asked him, ``Where do you come from?''
``From Paris,'' the man answered.
The woman was a little hard of hearing, and so she thought the man had answered, ``From Paradise.'' This greatly pleased her.
``From Paradise!? Ah well, did you there meet my poor old first husband, Lord rest his soul?''
``What was his name?'' the man asked.
``His name was John Goody,'' said the woman. ``I just wonder if you knew him in Paradise.''
``John Goody!'' the man exclaimed. He beamed with joy. ``Why, he and I are as close as brothers. The best of friends are John Goody and I.''
``How wonderful!'' the woman said. ``Does he need anything? I suppose not, I imagine up in Paradise you get just about everything you need.''
At this the man laughed heartily. ``All we want! Ma'am, just look at me,'' and he pointed at his ragged clothes and dirty face. ``They treat some of us pretty shabbily up there. Paradise is not as good as it sounds.''
``Dear me,'' said the woman, shaking her head. ``Are you planning to go back?
``Go back to Paradise? Well, I should say so. We have to be in every single night no later than 10.''
Now the woman had a wonderful idea. ``I don't suppose you'd mind taking a few things back to Paradise to give to John Goody?''
``Delighted to help,'' the man said. ``Absolutely delighted.''
So the woman hurried around the house, putting together a pile of clothing, and a long pipe and a jug, and some nice shoes, and food and drink. All this she handed to the man. ``For John Goody,'' she said. ``And I thank you.''
``But ma'am,'' the tramp protested. ``I can't carry these all by myself. Perhaps you have a horse I could borrow for my journey. I'll bring him back tomorrow, of course.''
``Well,'' the woman said, ``I can't lend you our good mare, Juniper. She's with my husband in the fields just now, ploughing and seeding. But there is old Dobbin in the stable.''
``Dobbin will do just fine,'' the man said. ``After all, it's just until tomorrow.''
So the woman walked to the stable and took Dobbin from his stall and saddled him with the best saddle she could find. The tramp rode off with the clothes and the pipe and the jug and the shoes and the food and drink.
Before long the woman's husband returned from the fields. ``Where's old Dobbin?'' he asked his wife. ``He's not in the stable.''
His wife told him the wonderful story of the visitor from Paradise. ``He'll be back tomorrow,'' she finished.
Her husband shook his head. ``I don't like that story one bit,'' he said. ``How do we know he's gone to Paradise? How do we know he'll bring back poor Dobbin? I think I'll saddle up Juniper and ride off to find him. Which way did he go?''
The woman pointed out the direction the tramp had taken. Off the farmer rode.
Now his horse was quick, and Dobbin was slow, and pretty soon the tramp saw the husband riding up behind him from a distance. He guessed what had happened, so he climbed off Dobbin's back and drove the poor old horse into a clump of trees near the roadside. Then he lay down on his back and stared up into the sky.
When the husband reached him, he stopped and looked down at the tramp. ``What are you doing down there?'' he asked.
``Oh,'' said the tramp, ``a strange thing just happened. A fellow came riding along on an old, tired horse. He was carrying a great load of clothing and other things, and when he reached the top of that hill there, he shot up straight into the sky. The horse went too. I was watching them when you came along. Look up. If you squint you may just see them still.''
So the husband stared up at the sky, but all he could see were the shimmering rays of the sun coming from the scattered clouds. ``Oh, well, I don't see him, but I suppose he's gone on home to Paradise,'' he said.
And he rode back home to tell his wife.
The next day, the farmer and his wife waited patiently for the tramp to return with their Dobbin. He didn't come that day, or the next. On the third day, the farmer said to his wife, ``I think we've been had. But I intend to catch that man, even if I have to cross the whole country to find him. You must come along, dear, for you will recognize him.''
``But, dear husband, what will we do while we're gone? I'm afraid thieves will come and take away my good china.''
The farmer thought for a while. Soon he had an idea. ``No trouble,'' he said. ``He who minds the door minds the house. We'll just take our door. Then the thieves won't be able to get in.''
So the farmer took the door off its hinges and put it on his back, and off they went on Juniper to find the man from Paradise. They rode and rode, all day and late into the night. At last, as the stars begin to twinkle above them, the woman said, ``Dear husband, we must rest for the night. But what will we use for shelter?''
Once again the husband thought for a while, and his face brightened. ``There's a tree over there,'' he said. ``We'll roost like birds in the branches. They rest just fine, and so will we.'' So, carrying the door upon their backs, they climbed the tree and lay down to sleep as comfortably as possible.
Now it so happened that a band of robbers had just broken into a nearby castle and had taken a great many things. They stopped beneath this same tree to divide their new wealth. Soon they were quarreling and they woke up the farmer and his wife.
``Dearest, what if they harm us?'' the woman whispered. Her husband took her by the hand and led her farther up the tree. But as they climbed, the door fell down on top of the robbers' heads.
``The heavens are falling!'' the robbers cried. They were so frightened that they all ran away into the forest, leaving behind their fortune.
The farmer and his wife climbed down the tree, collected the treasure and returned it to the castle. With their reward, they went home and lived happily ever after. They often spoke of their visitor from Paradise and hoped he would care well for dear old Dobbin. ILLUSTRATION: Drawing
by CNB